For those doing Christmas shopping in town, it is a welcome relief to have a bit of respite from the crowds by enjoying a hot beverage in a café.

The big high street chains have started to sell their festive-themed drinks in Bath, with Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Caffe Nero’s leading the way with a full menu of Christmas themed drinks.

Favourites such as the warming Gingerbread Latte, Toffee Nut Latte and Honeycombe Latte have made a welcome return along with a new billionaire's range from Costa, reports Belfast Live.

But have you ever stopped to think just how much sugar or calories is in just one cup of your favourite festive drink?

A Behind the Label study from Wren Kitchens has scrutinised the labels behind these festive favourites and pulled together the nutritional data for each menu in the table below with some comparisons too.

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Top of the list for calorific content is Costa's new Billionaire's Hot Chocolate which contains a shocking 660 calories and 19.7 teaspoons of sugar - that's equivalent to more than three Mars bars.

The festive drinks compared

With some of these drinks containing nearly twice the advised intake of sugar, Dr Dan Robertson, medical officer at Push Doctor to analysed the findings and offered his expert opinion.

Dr Robertson explains: "People usually buy a coffee because it helps wake them up and feel more alert. They're not drinking it to be healthy, so they don't think about things like calorie content and sugar levels.

Costa's new range includes the Billionaire's Hot Chocolate

"However, they shouldn't ignore data like this. The NHS recommends we consume no more than 30g of sugar a day. As we can see, most of the coffees in this data contain more than that - and that's on top of all the other sugars you'll consume in a day.

Costa's Black Forest Frostino

"Fortunately, there are lots of ways to make your coffee a bit healthier. You could try having more water and less milk, and saying no to extras like sprinkles. Don't be tempted by the cakes and snacks, either!

"Remember that you can always ask for a low-fat or sugar-free option. Most places will provide sugar-free syrups and skimmed milk if requested, but these are unlikely to be provided by default, so it’s up to you to make it happen.

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"It also depends how regularly you drink these coffees. If it's every day, you do need to be careful. On the other hand, if you're just having them in moderation, such as once a week, this is less of a risk to your health. It is the festive season, after all."